PATTAYA, Thailand – Chonburi Governor, Thawatchai Srithong, met with Banglamung District Chief Weekit Manarotkit, Mayor Poramet Ngampichet, officials from the Provincial Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and representatives from Eastern Water Supply Company on May 2 to strategize solutions for the persistent water shortage issue plaguing Koh Larn Island.
Koh Larn Island, with a local population of merely 3,000 to 4,000 residents, experiences a staggering influx of visitors, averaging 8,000 on weekdays and 12,000 on weekends. This surge translates to accommodating over 500,000 to 1 million people monthly, far surpassing the island’s capacity. Despite this, the current water production capacity, excluding purchases from Pattaya, stands at a meagre 400 cubic meters per day, rendering it insufficient to meet the burgeoning demands for freshwater.
To tackle this crisis, a comprehensive two-phase plan was devised. In the short term, immediate steps will be taken to purchase and distribute freshwater to residents, alleviating the acute water scarcity during this dry season. In the long term, the Pattaya City Administration will collaborate with the Eastern Water Supply Company to ramp up the production capacity of desalinated water from 400 to 3,000 cubic meters per day within the year.
This enduring solution aims to address the water shortage on Koh Larn Island for the next 25 years. Moreover, the construction of two centralized water wells is slated to commence, ensuring a backup reservoir of raw water to mitigate any future production challenges.
Governor Thawatchai emphasized that despite the water shortage crisis, tourism activities on Koh Larn Island remain unaffected. Accommodations and resorts have made provisions to provide freshwater, ensuring tourists can still relish their time on the island. However, the crisis predominantly impacts local residents, prompting concerted efforts to purchase and distribute freshwater to alleviate their plight.
Despite the severity of the situation, Chonburi Province refrains from declaring Koh Larn Island as a drought-affected area. Instead, the Pattaya City Administration continues its vigilant efforts to manage and address the water shortage crisis for affected residents.
